Ukraine agrees defense deal with Germany to help in fight against Russia

BERLIN (AP) — Ukraine and Germany are starting work on plans for the joint production of advanced drones and other battle-tested defense systems, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday, as Kyiv looks to scale up its more than four-year fight against Russia’s all-out invasion.

“We have proposed to Germany a bilateral drone deal covering various types of drones, missiles, software and modern defense systems. Our teams are starting concrete work,” Zelenskyy said at a joint news conference with Chancellor Friedrich Merz during a visit to Berlin.

Merz said that Germany’s commitment to supporting Kyiv's war effort is “a very clear signal” to Russia.

“We will not waver in our efforts to defend Ukraine,” he said.

U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war on its neighbor have recently petered out as the Iran war grips the Trump administration’s attention, although Tammy Bruce, the deputy U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told the U.N. Security Council on Monday that Washington “will continue to push for a negotiated and durable end” to the war.

Russia has occupied about 20% of Ukraine so far. That includes the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized in 2014.

Ukraine has the capacity to produce twice as much military equipment as it's currently deploying, but lacks funding to step up production, according to Zelenskyy.

“We simply don’t have enough money,” he said.

A key to unlocking that potential lies in obtaining a promised loan of 90 billion euros ($106 billion) from the European Union, which had been held up by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, but his impending departure from office after a weekend election could now free up the money.

Ukraine needs those funds “urgently,” Merz said.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who accompanied Zelenskyy to Berlin, said Germany and Ukraine agreed a defense package valued at 4 billion euros ($4.7 billion). The agreement is “a massive boost” for Ukraine's air defense against Russian barrages, Fedorov said on X, allowing Kyiv to buy “several hundred” American-made Patriot missiles.

After Berlin, Zelenskyy was due to visit Norway, another important financial and military ally, while defense leaders from the 50-plus partner nations who regularly gather to coordinate weapons aid for Kyiv will hold an online meeting Wednesday, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said.

Kyiv is heavily reliant on U.S. intelligence for targeting inside Russia and needs more sophisticated American-made air defense systems to stop Russian missile attacks on its power grid. If the Iran war drags on, it could erode vital U.S. support for Kyiv, Zelenskyy fears.

Furthermore, the Ukrainian army is short-handed, facing around 200,000 troop desertions and draft-dodging by around 2 million people, Fedorov said in January.

Germany will help Kyiv facilitate the return home of Ukrainian men of military age, Merz said.

“We need rapid, tangible progress here,” he said.

Domestically developed unmanned platforms are playing a vital role in holding back Russia's invasion. Ukraine makes air and sea drones, missiles that have reached around 1,750 kilometers (1,000 miles) into Russia, as well as battlefield robots that help make up for its troop shortage.

Ukraine has been approached about security cooperation, especially battle-tested drone production, by eight Middle East and Gulf countries, as well as Turkey, Iraq and countries in Southeast Asia and Africa, Zelenskyy said on Monday.

Despite its handicaps, Western analysts and officials say Ukraine has in recent months recorded battlefield successes against Russia’s bigger army, disrupting a spring offensive started by Russia amid improving weather, as fields dry out and new foliage on tree lines offers more cover.

Meanwhile, the long-range drones and missiles that Kyiv designs and produces are repeatedly striking oil facilities and manufacturing plants deep inside Russia.

Ukraine “is in a much better place than it has been at any stage in this horrific war,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb said at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Monday.

Ukraine “is on top from a military perspective,” Stubb said, noting that last month Ukraine fired more drones and missiles at Russia than vice versa.

Moscow has also claimed progress on the battlefield. Independent verification of each side’s claims wasn't possible.

Meanwhile, a Russian missile attack on the eastern Ukraine city of Dnipro killed four people and left 21 hospitalized with injuries, 10 of them in serious condition, regional authorities said Tuesday.

The city’s attorney general’s office said the victims, all civilians, were driving or walking past the scene of the strike in the city, 485 kilometers (300 miles) southeast of Kyiv.

Elsewhere, a 52-year-old woman was killed in a Russian drone strike in the southern city of Kherson that also left one man seriously wounded, authorities said.

Hanna Arhirova reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Derek Gatopoulos contributed to this report from Kyiv.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz attend a press conference at the German-Ukrainian government consultations in Berlin Germany, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

German chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for German-Ukrainian government consultations in Berlin Germany, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

German chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for German-Ukrainian government consultations in Berlin Germany, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

German chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for German-Ukrainian government consultations in Berlin Germany, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is urging the Trump administration to carry out another wave of strikes on Iran, officials told The Associated Press.

Iran said Monday it had a two-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear talks with the United States. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels accused Saudi Arabia of striking a shipping port.

Israel's military said it was wrapping up a sweeping operation after a shooting in Hebron killed two soldiers.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Monday. Read our full coverage here.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for another wave of strikes on Iran after Tuesday’s midterm elections in the United States, according to two regional officials and a third person familiar with the matter.

U.S. President Donald Trump has alternated between threatening major strikes while pushing for a deal with Iran.

The two officials said diplomatic efforts have made progress. The two officials said the mediators are trying to advance a framework for Iran to cease its attacks in the Strait of Hormuz in return for the U.S. lifting its blockade on Iran’s ports.

They said more talks are planned for this week. The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing classified briefings they had received from American officials and one Israeli official.

Netanyahu pressed for strikes during a call over the weekend with Trump, who would not commit to taking military action, according to a person who was briefed on the call.

Other U.S. allies in the Middle East are warning against more strikes, saying it would destabilize the region, a third regional official said.

The Israeli government did not immediately comment. The White House did not directly respond to questions about Netanyahu and Trump’s discussion of potential new strikes during the weekend call.

— By Samy Magdy and Aamer Madhani

Iran said it had a two-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear talks with the U.S. if Washington meets its demands.

Iran previously said the plan could be implemented within a week if the U.S. met seven conditions, including lifting its blockade of Iranian ports. Iran now says ships passing through the reopened strait would have to follow a route agreed upon by Iran and Oman. Separately, Iranian officials have said the U.S. must lift sanctions on Iranian oil sales and agree to a ceasefire that would include Lebanon.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the plan remained the basis for negotiations with Washington through mediators, despite the shorter implementation timeline. “This once again demonstrates Iran’s good-faith approach,” he added.

A vessel transiting the strait was struck by an “unknown projectile” that left a hole in the vessel, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said Monday. All crew members were reported safe, the agency said.

Iran has claimed attacks on vessels it says took unauthorized routes while it said other vessels have reportedly struck mines laid by the Islamic Republic in the early days of the war. The U.S. military denies the naval mines claims, saying that all internationally recognized routes have been cleared of mines by U.S. forces.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Monday accused Saudi Arabia of striking a port along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, setting fire to ships. Earlier, the Houthi-run health ministry said explosives hit a market in southwestern Yemen, killing seven people, including five children. Eight others were wounded, including five children, the ministry’ spokesman Anees al-Asbah said.

Saudi authorities did not immediately comment. The Associated Press could not independently verify the two claims.

The Houthis have claimed recent attacks on Saudi Arabia, saying they targeted an airport and military transport aircraft.

The Saudi-backed Yemeni military said a Houthi missile struck a medical center in the Madaribah district in Lahij province, which is close to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The attack killed at least five people, including three medical personnel, and wounded 15 others, including seven medical workers, according to the Human Rights Ministry.

Another Houthi attack on a public market in the Aqroudh village in Lahij killed and wounded a total of 26 people, the ministry said, without providing a breakdown.

The latest attacks are part of the Houthis’ ongoing battles with the Yemeni military forces and their allies, which have exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation and caused many to flee.

China said Monday it plans to send a special envoy to Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia in early to mid-November. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters the envoy would focus on easing tensions and promoting regional stability.

The move comes as China seeks to expand its influence in the rapidly changing region, which it depends on for a large share of its oil.

The Israeli military said Monday it ended an operation in Hebron in the occupied West Bank that began last month after two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers. It said it demolished the gunmen’s residences and confiscated weapons and illegal vehicles.

The operation, focused on the area where the shooting took place, displaced hundreds of Palestinians. They began returning home Monday as some Israeli forces withdrew from one of the most tense cities in the territory. In Deir Bahha, some residents found their homes were damaged in military raids.

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greets his supporters at Likud party headquarters in Jerusalem after the release of the first exit poll results in Israel's general election, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

A bird flies low over the water as cargo ships lie at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, early Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)